Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian poem; an enchanting story of chivalry, romance and heroism. With its intricately woven details, parallels and symbols, the reader will often easily overlook these facets in a story of this caliber. Undoubtedly, the author would not have spent time on details that do not add to the meaning of the overall telling of the story. The three hunting scenes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and in parallel, the three temptations, monopolize a considerable portion of the story. In a comparison of the three hunts and their corresponding temptations, we will see how the poet parallels these circumstances to emphasize the meaning of its symbolism. In Medieval times, people believed many animals had human qualities, which is consistent with the telling of this story. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight comprises three hunts; each of a different animal, which the poet describes in great detail. "Certain facts about the animals which formed the quarry of the medieval huntsman and certain popular beliefs about their habits and temper" (Savage 32) help the reader to see the parallels between the hunts and the temptations, which could also be seen as a kind of hunt. Through his incredible use of imagery, the poet describes the hunting party in the first hunt as it moves through the forest noisily with their horns and hounds, hunting for deer. "The proud lords appear, appareled to ride,/Leap lightly astride, lay hold of their bridles,/Each on his way to his worthy house./ Then they harnessed in couples the keen-scented hounds, /Blew upon their bugles bold blast three;/" (3.1130-32, 1139-41). As the huntsmen shout out and blow their horns, the deer run and try to hide: "Deer dashed through the dale, dazed with dread;/" (3.1151). The deer are quick and alert. The hunt requires that the huntsmen be patient. Gawain is like the deer which symbolizes innocence and purity. He is innocent and pure in his chivalry and knighthood. He tries to...

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...The Theme of Games in SirGawain and the GreenKnight
The theme of games plays a very important role in SirGawain and the GreenKnight. In fact, much of the action that takes place in this story revolves around the playing of various “games.” When one thinks of the word “games,” there are several thoughts that may come to mind. Sports, board games, and card games are all types of games that society today might be familiar with. The author of SirGawain and the GreenKnight uses different kinds of games than the ones mentioned above. In the time of Sir Arthur and his court, the word “game” wasn’t as strongly associated with something pleasurable as it was meant to test one’s worthiness. When the GreenKnight enters Arthur’s court and announces that he has come to ask “ a Christmas game,” he has not come to play cards or scrabble, but instead has come to test the worthiness of someone in the court. “The "game" of exchanging gifts was very common in Germanic culture. If a man received a gift, he was obliged to provide the giver with a better gift or risk losing his honor, almost like an exchange of blows in a fight, or in a "beheading game" (Harwood). Many other games are involved in the plot of SirGawain and the Green...

...rather than give in to the world's everyday temptations? Is a hero the picture of courage, or an example of morals? These are the questions that arise after reading the epic story of Beowulf by an anonymous author, and the romantic tale of SirGawain and the GreenKnight, also written by an anonymous author. The stories describe two very different heroes. Beowulf was undoubtedly a hero, but as time advanced and the world became more complicated, what constituted a hero became more shady; therefore, while he is not anything like Beowulf, SirGawain is also in fact a true hero.
&#9;Beowulf is a hero. That is an undeniable fact. His heroic image stands out notably because Beowulf is what could be called an active hero while SirGawain plays the part of a passive hero, but still a hero nonetheless. Beowulf has one duty: he must fight and win. If he succeeds, he is a hero; if he fails he is simply a failure (except when he fails at defeating the dragon because he has already proved himself and goes with honor, which is different from initially failing). In the last lines of the story the author clearly acknowledges Beowulf's overall triumph, &quot;Telling stories of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, praising him for heroic deeds, for a life as noble as his name.&quot;
SirGawain on the other hand is...

...Monsters Lesson 14 Judging Gawain
Answer these questions using QAR
1. Read over each question.
2. Think back (or reread) the text and create a valid, clear, and focused response.
3. Identify the relationship—where did you find your evidence?
Question
Answer
Relationship—Choose one:
Right There
Think and Search
Author and Me
Gawain is said to be Arthur’s most noble and faithful knight. Would you agree or disagree with that statement? Why? Please explain your answer in detail.
I agree, because none of the other knights would take the challenge, and were willing to let King Arthur do it himself, except Gawain, he stepped up and took his kings place.
Right There
The seduction of Gawain by Lady Bertilak was an attempt to show flaw in Arthur’s servant and the whole chivalric system. Was this attempt successful or not? Explain your answer in detail.
I would say that is was not successful, because the seduction only got a few kisses from Gawain, but what happened from that was the giving of the green girdle, and Gawain not giving his winnings to the lord as promised.
Author and Me
Discuss two choices made by Gawain throughout the course of the poem. What were the consequences of these choices? If you were Gawain, would you have made these same choices? Why or why not? Please explain your answers in...

...powerful thing because knights are sworn into their positions and often opt for death over disgrace. Pride and honor along with respect and reputation are some of a knight’s main ethics and a knight must be a gentleman with a valued inner worth. In “SirGawain and the GreenKnight”, Sir Gawain’s inner worth is tested by The GreenKnight by playing Knightly games. Each game represents certain virtues in life and gives ambiguous interpretations of how one should morally act in order to remain close with his ethics.
Camelot is the Castle in which the book begins. It is Christmas time and everyone in the castle is feasting when the GreenKnight is ushered in. He introduces a game in which none of the other knights accept. Finally, Arthur, the owner of the castle, accepts the challenge. Just as Arthur is about to follow through with the test, SirGawain interrupts politely and explains to Arthur that he cannot accept the challenge because it is his home and that the kings death will be unacceptable and Arthur should consider him as an alternative. Gawain respectfully convinces Arthur to back away and let him try his skill. The GreenKnight makes Gawain promise to the terms that he offers which are: Gawain is...

...SirGawain and the GreenKnight
Charles Darwin once said that, “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” In SirGawain and the GreenKnight, SirGawain is an honest and chivalrous knight, as seen in his pentangle, “The fifth five I find the famous man practiced Were – Liberality and Lovingkindness leading the rest; Then his Continence and Courtesy, which were never corrupted; And Piety, the surpassing virtue” (Gawain, 651-654). Sir Gawain’s chivalrous character seems superficial and wasted to some individuals because it means he cannot live a fulfilled life. In the words of Darwin, this would mean that SirGawain does not understand what the value of life is. Certain green objects, such as the green girdle, the Green Knight’s accoutrement, and the Green Chapel, represent the quest of truth in Gawain’s character and the understanding of the value of life, which is the ability to learn from mistakes and continuously grow as life goes on.
The story of SirGawain and the GreenKnight begins with a mythical creature, the GreenKnight, interrupting a New Year’s feast in King Arthur’s court....

...Women, Courtly Love and the Creation Myth in SirGawain and the GreenKnight
&#9;SirGawain and the GreenKnight, a great epic written in fourteenth century Europe by the Pearl poet, emphasizes the opposition of Christian love to Courtly love in the 13th century through the dilemma of SirGawain, one of the great knights of the Arthurian round table. By examining the women in the poem, Gawain's dilemma becomes a metaphor for the contrast of these two distinct types of love. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life (Warner 9). In contrast, Morgan le Fay and Bertilak's wife appear to be representing courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. This conflict between courtly love and spiritual love demonstrates the drastically weakened religious values behind chivalry. An interesting parallel to SirGawain and the GreenKnight is the story of original sin in the Garden of Eden. Gawain's temptation correlates to the temptation of Adam, which is rooted in the sins of the flesh. The women in the story seem to accentuate the downfall of Gawain, which mirrors the downfall of Arthur's court, as well as man's fall from grace in the garden.
&#9;Originally,...

...SirGawain and the GreenKnight is a Middle English romance poem written by
an anonymous West Midlands poet also credited with a lot of other poems written during
that time. The protagonist, SirGawain, survives two tests: a challenge, which he alone
without the assistance of King Arthur's knights accepts, to behead the fearsome GreenKnight and to let him retaliate a year later at the distant Green Chapel; and the temptation
to commit adultery with the wife of Lord Bercilak--in reality the GreenKnight--in whose
castle he stays in en route to the chapel. This story is emblematic of life; how it issues
tests and challenges and the consequences rendered as a result of failing or succeeding
these challenges.
SirGawain is a very symbolic character; symbolic in the sense that he represents
innocence in life. He was not afraid to accept a challenge because it meant saving the
kingdom from the affects of anarchy as a result of not having a king. SirGawain
accepting the challenge from the GreenKnight instantly represented one of the things
that knighthood represented, fearlessness. People accept those kind of challenges
everyday. This could possibly be where the term 'sticking your neck out' could...

...SirGawain and the GreenKnight
"SirGawain and the GreenKnight" is a medieval romance poem written by an anonymous author. It was written in a dialect from Northern England. The poem uses alliteration similar to the Anglo-Saxon form of poetry. SirGawain is one of the major characters in the poem. SirGawain represents an ideal knight of the fourteenth century. Throughout the story, we see SirGawain portrayed as a very courteous and noble knight, always trying to help King Arthur. The poem SirGawain and the GreenKnight tells the tale of one of King Arthur’s bravest and noblest knights, SirGawain. The author spins this magical tale of heroism and adventure over the course of one year. During this year, the hero SirGawain undergoes a serious alteration of character. When the GreenKnight enters King Arthur’s court, he sets Sir Gawain’s destiny in motion. Change, especially spiritual transformation, is a common thread running through the poem. In addition, is the case with almost every example of romantic poems and certainly every story concerning King Arthur and the other...